On November 3, Beijing time, according to ESPN reporters Warneroski and Lamona jointly reported that the 76ers tried to help Simmons to solve the psychological problems that he was not ready to play, but this proposal was rejected by Simmons, and the 76ers felt more and more frustrated. Simmons' comeback still has no timeline.
Sources reveal that Simmons was willing to have the 76ers' team doctor treat him for a back injury, but he was reluctant to discuss his psychological condition with the doctor. It is worth mentioning that Simmons is not reluctant to see a psychologist, but just unwilling to associate with the doctor provided by 76 people. Since this summer, Simmons has found psychologists outside the team through the players' union and kept in touch. As for the details of their contact, Simmons has yet to report to the 76ers.
In the team's training gym, Simmons regularly has one-on-one interactions with his teammates and members of the coaching staff, but he still does not participate in the whole team activities, and it is unclear when he will participate. The 76ers are still eager to help Simmons with his mental readiness so he can get back on the court as soon as possible, it's just that they don't know if Simmons himself is moving toward the same goal.
Sources close to Simmons have told ESPN that Simmons wants to provide progress to the team in his own comfortable way, in other words, it's all up to Simmons.
Earlier this season, the 76ers fined Simmons nearly $2 million for missing games, training sessions and meetings, and the team has stopped fining him since He told the team on Oct. 22 that he was not mentally prepared to play.
There is a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that protects a player's salary: if a player's inability to play is caused by a mental illness, then the player can also receive a salary.
The team lost patience with Simmons, and so did the fans. At home against the Blazers, Philadelphia fans chanted, "We want Lillard!" We want Lillard! "It's an emotional expression of wanting the team to trade Simmons for Lillard.
Simmons' reluctance to cooperate with the team further confirms a quote from his draft report five years ago: "According to people who know him very well, Simmons needs everything on and off the court revolves around him, and he usually has a closed attitude towards coaching and coaching." Isn't that a true reflection of Simmons' current situation?